I Can't Face The Dark Without You
by Dex-El of Krypton
Summary: AU When Mary interrupted Azazel it ended up claiming not only her life, but the life of her baby. Mary always wanted a daugher. When John finds a little girl who family was killed by vamps, he takes her in. Trains her Dean/Buffy
1. Prologue

I Can't Face The Dark Without You

Prologue

Dean groaned as literally all hell broke lose.

Yellow Eyes had him pinned down to a grave and The Colt was just barley out of reach.

As Dean vainly tried to reach the gun, he heard a slap and looked up to see Yellow Eyes standing over a small blond woman.

Fear combined with blinding rage gripped Dean as he yelled, "Hey, is that all you got you Candyass son of a bitch?"

Azazel looked up at Dean and chuckled, "I'll get you in a second Dean-o. Let me just finish up with Barbie over here."

The blond woman pulled out a saw-off shotgun and unloaded two rounds of rock salt in the demon's face.

Azazel laughed and said, "A little feisty one aren't ya? I like that."

Azazel picked the woman up by the neck and pinned her to a tree.

He leaned down and slowly licked her neck.

The woman gasped in disgust and managed to slap the demon.

Azazel sighed, "Oh how I wish I had time to teach you some manners properly. But as you can see….." he gestured to the opened Devil's Gate, "My plate just got filled up."

Azazel looked at Dean and winked.

Dean stared into the eyes of the creature that killed his mother, his baby brother, and twenty two years later his father. And now he was going to kill someone who meant more to Dean then all three members of his family and his beloved Impala.

Dean watched in slow motion as a knife come back then sliced through the air before puncturing the woman's heart.

Dean screamed, "No!" And burst through the hold Yellow Eyes had on him, grabbed the Colt, took aim, and shot the bastard where a heart would be.

Azazel looked down in shock before convulsing and falling over dead.

Dean ran to the woman and cradled her.

He rocked her body, with tears in his eyes when he looked up and saw his father.

His father smiled proudly at his son, before noticing the woman and he frowned.

Then his image flickered and his apparition disappeared.

Dean looked back down at the woman, who lifeless eyes stared up at him.

Dean begged, his voice crackling, "Come on Princess. Please don't leave me baby. Buffy!"

But she didn't answer. And Dean broke down.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dean woke up to Heat of the Moment by Asia blaring out of the clock radio on the nightstand.

Dean Winchester rubbed his eyes as the effects of the nightmare washed over him. He had been having the same dream since that night four months ago.

He sighed and reached for the bottle of whiskey he had under the cheap motel bed.

He stumbled into the bathroom to splash water on his face, when he hears the sounds of Smoke on the Water emitting from his phone.

Probably Bobby with another case, Dean thought. Dean hadn't seen the older hunter since her funeral.

Bobby on multiple occasions has tried to call and consol Dean, but Dean only talked business. In Dean's grief, the only thing that mattered was the job.

Dean picked up the phone and barked, "What?"

A gruffy voice replied, "Dean"

Dean barked back, "What do you want Bobby?"

Dean heard the voice of the elder hunter reply quietly, "How are ya boy?"

Dean barked, "I'm farting sunshine and rainbows. How the hell do you think I'm doing? Now what do you want Bobby?"

Bobby sighed, "Fine. I've got a vampire nest in Madison Wisconsin I need help with. Rufus is busy with a wrath in Montana and Ellen and Jo are too busy with a Witch's Covent in Mississippi."

Dean looked at his watch and calculated distance in his head.

He said, "I'll be there tomorrow morning." then hung up without waiting for a response.

Bobby sighed; grief had turned Dean into his father.

Bobby stopped to think about the object of the younger man's grief. Damnit that girl was like a daughter to Bobby. Hell, Dean was like a son. And Bobby was more of a father to the both of them then John Winchester ever was.

Bobby just hoped he hadn't lost that son when he lost the daughter.

Dean walked out of the motel room with his duffle bag of weapons that he cleaned periodically.

He threw open the Impala's door and plopped down into the driver's seat.

Gone were the days when the Impala was Dean's baby.

He sat in the driver's seat and turned to throw the duffle bag in the backseat when he got a glimpse of the carving.

It was a simple carving under the backseat passenger door.

The carving was made a number of years ago. He was 12 and she was 8. One summer day, she and Dean had been locked in the Impala while John examined a corpse of a werewolf victim in the Morgue.

He had taken a broken plastic spoon and carved the letters D and W. She had smiled at him and carved the letters B and S. He had smiled back until she had circled the letters in a big heart to Dean's trepidation. Though it was hard explaining in to his father and he didn't like how she had chicked up the Impala, a part of him liked it.

Not that he ever told her that.

Dean tore his eyes away from the carving and shifted the car into gear and barreled down the highway.

He had arrived in town the next morning. He had met Bobby at a diner and discussed the case over breakfast.

Bobby had tried to strike up an un-work related conversation but Dean shot him down each time.

Six couples had been found dead in the same area. All showed signs of Vampire attack. Bobby had even found a fang in one of the corpses the day before.

Both hunters got into the Impala to drive to where they suspected the Nest was located.

Bobby looked at Dean who kept the same serious look on his face since he blew into town.

Seeing how he couldn't strike up a conversation, Bobby turned on the radio.

Sweet Child of Mine blared threw the speakers of the '69 Chevy.

Bobby thought that some Guns and Roses would cheer Dean up.

Dean stared at the radio. The song triggered a memory of a young Dean singing this to her when she had a nightmare as a child and John was in a hunt.

Dean turned off the radio and kept on driving.

Dean and Bobby arrived at a warehouse that in the Nest's hunting grounds.

Dean opened up the Impala's trunk and revealed the false bottom and stared at his assortment of weapons.

Vamps he thought. She was scared of Vamps growing up. Who could blame her? John and Bobby had found her six years old hiding in a closet while two vamps feed on her parents and younger sister.

That fear and turned into anger when she hit 18 and embraced Hunting. Dean used to joke and call her the Vampire Slayer.

Dean frowned and grabbed a machete and slammed the trunk close.

He nodded to Bobby who had his own knife and entered the warehouse.

Dean took a few steps in before he found a mutilated corpse.

He rolled up his sleeve and cut his arm with the machete. The pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

He yelled, "Smell that you son of a bitch? I bet I taste good. Come on, eat me!"

A blond vamp stared at him from across the room. She breathed heavy smelling the scent of blood and growled. Judging from her pupil dilation and feral behavior, she was a newly turned vamp. Too high off her bloodlust to really understand what she was doing. Well Dean would fix that.

She charged at Dean who lopped off her head with one swing.

Bobby ran in and looked at the headless vamp and the cut on Dean's arm.

He asked, "Cutting it a little close boy?"

Dean just stared at him and moved on patrolling the area.

It wasn't long before Dean came across a Vamp attacking a guard outside the warehouse.

The vamp had the guard pressed against a table and was pulling a table saw down to severe the guard's head.

Dean dropped his machete, and pulled the guy out of the vamp's reach.

Then Dean let in his emotional wall and all his anger flooded out. He remembered the countless nights she had cried herself to sleep, terrified of the nightmare of the monsters who took away her family. He remembered holding her body as her lifeless eyes stared up at him.

Dean used these memories to fuel his every punch.

He sucker punched the vamp and then grabbed a road spike lying on the table. He beat the vamp with in until the vamp fell onto the table and then Dean held it up and impaled the vamp in the heart.

The Vamp screamed out in pain. Seeing how the whole wooden stake myth was derived from Pagan lore on killing Pagan Gods not vampires, the vamp didn't die.

As the vamp screamed in pain, Dean hit him again and again. Then he looked up and grabbed the table saw and pulled it down.

Slowly he pulled as the saw severed the vamp's head. Blood sprayed all over Dean's face.

Throughout the entire fight, Dean's face never showed emotion but pure rage.

Dean took a deep breath, putting up the grip on his emotions and stared down at the headless bastard.

Then he stepped back and turned around.

Bobby was there staring at Dean, a mixed look of worry and horror.

Dean never said a word, just wiped off the blood and moved on.

Dean and Bobby pulled into a Motel three hours later after clearing out the Nest.

The only discussion they had was brainstorming why the demons who escaped the Devil's Gate that night hadn't done a thing. Four months and there hasn't been one Demonic Omen of any kind. Dean suspected they were planning something. Maybe with Yellow Eyes gone, the demons were regrouping and biding there time.

Dean and Bobby entered the Motel room. Bobby had gotten a room with two beds the day before.

Dean set his duffle bag on his bed and reached for his whiskey flask and took a long drag from it.

Bobby stared at Dean before he said, "I know how you feel boy."

Dean turned to him and barked, "Excuse me?"

Bobby said, "I felt the thing way after my wife was killed."

Dean glared at him and said, "You don't have a damn idea how I feel Bobby."

Bobby glared at Dean and yelled, "She's dead Dean."

Dean growled, "You shut your damn mouth."

But Bobby continued, "She's dead, and she left a hole and it hurts so bad you can't take it. But you just can't fill that hole with hunting and booze boy. It's an insult to her memory."

Dean smiled for a brief second and contemplated the elder hunter's words.

He whispered, "Okay." Then sucker punched Bobby in the jaw.

Bobby stared Dean right in the eye not backing down, "You hit me all you want. It won't change a thing."

Dean nodded and socked Bobby again and the old man fell to the floor.

Bobby asked, "Do you really think Buffy would want this? Do you think she'd want you to become John?"

Dean with a tear running down his face yelled, "Don't you dare say her name Bobby."

Dean grabbed his jacket and left the room to go on a walk.

About an hour later Bobby walked out of the motel room and found Dean leaning up against the Impala.

Bobby walked up to the man who was a son to him, and leaned against the car as well.

Dean never looked up at Bobby, but after a while whispered, "You don't know how I feel"

Bobby watched as Dean wiped tears from his eyes.

Dean said his voice shaking, "How I fell," he took a deep breath his voice continuing to shake and his eyes never looked up, "I wish I couldn't feel anything Bobby."

A tear fell down his face, "I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."

For once in his life, Bobby was at a lost for words.

The next day Dean drove Bobby back home. They didn't say a word the entire trip.

When they got there Dean drove the Impala to the back to do some work under the hood.

As he worked in the yard he swore time and time again that he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't go out to her grave.

Dean couldn't believe that the love of his life was in a box in the ground just a couple hundred yards away.

He worked on the car as best as he could tired to drown out the thoughts of her but became increasingly frustrated of being distracted by memories of her.

Finally, his anger reached a point where he took a crowbar and started beating of a broken down car in Bobby's lot. He broke the windshield and put the mother of all dents in the hood of the car.

That night after lying awake on the couch for what felt like hours, finally Dean threw off the covers and went outside.

He told himself repeatedly that he wasn't going there but his legs wouldn't listen to his mouth.

After what felt like years Dean arrived at her grave.

It was a simple grave. It simply read, "Buffy Anne Summers-Winchester 1984-2007.

Bobby had wanted to give her a Hunter's Funeral and salted and burn her. But Dean had made it abundantly clear that wasn't going to happen.

Dean stared at the grave for hours before he said a word.

After what felt like years, Dean whispered, "You know when we were little and you couldn't have been more then six. And you stared asking questions. How come I didn't have a mom? Why do we always have to move around? Where'd my dad go? He'd take off for days at a time. I remember begging you, "Quit asking, Princess. Trust me you don't wanna know. I just wanted you to be a little girl. Just a little while longer."

Dean took a deep breath

"I always tired to protect you. Keep you safe. Remember your Freshman year and that bitch Cordelia would pick on you? And I flirted with her and got her into the broom closet and got her to kiss me but pushed that frog from the science lab and opened the door for everyone to see."

He smiled for a bit, remember her smile that day.

"Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was just always my responsibility, you know? It's like I had one job. That one job. After I lost my mom and my baby brother, you were how I filled that void in my life. That night my dad and Bobby found you, I was in the Impala. One of the vamps had knocked over a candle and started a fire. I ran in to help Dad. And he turned to me and held up little girl who couldn't have been more the four years old. My dad said, "Take the girl and get her out here." And I did. Ever since that night keeping you safe was my job."

He took another deep breath and wiped away a tear, "And I screwed it up. I blew it. And for that, I'm sorry."

He wiped away more tears, "I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. I let Dad down. And now, I guess I'm just supposed to let you down too? How can I Princess? How am I supposed to live without you?"

The thought back, "Do you remember when you proposed to me? You were thirteen years old and had stolen this plain simple silver ring. You put it on my finger and proclaimed to all the world that you were a Winchester for real now. That you were Mrs. Dean Winchester. And I never took that damn ring off. Then one time I had gotten injured during a hunt with dad, and you spent that whole weekend playing doctor. You put every damn Barbie band aid on me you could find. And you made me feel better by just being you. Your voice, your personality, your being, that's what made me better. I figured out that weekend that I can't face the dark without you Buffy. And I can't. These past two years since Dad left has been the best years of my life. Just you, me, and the Impala."

"What am I supposed to do? Baby what am I supposed to do?"

He stood up from sitting on the grass and screamed, "What am I supposed to do?"

He cast one last look at the grave then ran back to Bobby's and jumped into the Impala.

He drove for half an hour before he found what he was looking for.

A Crossroad.

He jumped out of the Impala and threw open the trunk.

He dug out a fake I.D. with his picture, some graveyard dirt, and the bone of a black cat. He put them in a box.

He walked out into the middle of the Crossroad and dug a small hole with his hands. He placed the box into the hole and poured dirt on it.

He took a step back and looked around the crossroads. For the first time in his life, Dean prayed.

Dean whispered, "Oh, come on already."

He yelled, "Show your face, you bitch."

Then he heard a voice say, "Easy, sugar, you'll wake the neighbors."

Dean turned to see an attractive brunette staring at him. Her eyes flashed red.

She smiled, "Dean. It is so, so good to see you."

She circled around him, "I mean it. Look at you. Gone and got all your family and now your girlfriend killed. All alone in the world. It's too sweet."

Dean glared down at her.

She whispered in his ear seductively, "What can I do for ya Dean?"

Dean growled, "I wanna make a deal."


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took me so long with the update. Even though its been well over a year since I've updated, this story I've done the most planning about this particular story of mine. I've got plans well down the line. This chapter is a prequel and shows the changes I've made to how John and Dean got into the Family Business and how Dean and Buffy meet. This chapter also preludes to both Dean's and Buffy's individual Big Bads of the beginning of the story. I've got ideas to keep me going for a long time, including a way to get Dean out of his demon deal that I've never seen anyone else attempt in a fanfiction to my knowledge. I own the rights to nothing. Please review if you can and enjoy. **

**-Dex-El of Krypton**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Lawrence, Kansas

November, 2, 1983

Mary Winchester walked into the nursery carrying her four year old first born, Dean. She flips the lights on and says to her son, "Come on, let's say goodnight to your brother."

She put Dean down, who climbed up the bars of his brother Sam's crib. Sam turned six months old tonight. Dean leaned over the crib and kissed his brother's forehead and whispered, "Goodnight Sammy."

Mary leaned over the crib and rubs her baby's head and kissed him goodnight, "Goodnight love." She cooed lovingly.

Mary hears a deep voice say, "Hey Dean."

Mary and Dean turn to see John Winchester standing at the door.

Dean exclaimed, "Daddy!" and ran to launch himself in his father's arms.

John laughed and caught his son and said, "Hey buddy. So what do you think? IS Sammy big enough to toss around a football?"

Dean laughed at his father's foolishness, "No Daddy."

Mary smiled and asked her husband, "Do you got him?"

John smiled and hugged his eldest, "Yeah I got him." John turned off the light of the nursery and whispered, "Goodnight Sammy." Then carried Dean off to bead.

A chilling wind seeped through the open window of the nursery. All of the nightlights flickered. The clock froze at 8:13 p.m.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, Mary woke up to the sound of Sammy cries coming out of the baby monitor on the nightstand of the master bedroom. The baby monitor was giving off vast amounts of feedback oddly enough.<p>

Mary turned on the lamp of the nightstand. Hearing Sammy's cries, she sighed and turned in the bed to call her husband's name. But the bed was empty.

She sighs again. He must have fallen asleep watching Western's downstairs again she thought. She forces herself out of the bed and makes her way down the hall. She rubs her eyes as she walks and swore she could smell a whiff of Sulfur. Her sleep deprived mind dismisses this as she enters the nursery.

Standing over Sammy's crib was a tall dark figure.

Mary calls out, "John is he hungry?"

The only reply given was a soft shushing noise.

Mary said, "Well alright."

Mary rubs her eyes again and turns to maker her way back to bed when she notices the light at the end of the hallway flicker. Mary taps the bulb quizzingly and the flickering ceased.

Mary thought this odd.

When she hears the sounds of the downstairs television, Mary walks downstairs to turn off the appliance when she spots John Winchester sleeping in the recliner.

Instantly fear grips Mary's heart. She turns and calls out, "Sammy!" and sprints back up the stairs toward the nursery.

She enters the nursery and the dark figure turns to look at her. Darkness shadows the figure's face, obscuring its features. The only feature visible was its impossibly bright yellow eyes.

Suddenly an invisible force throws Mary back and pressed her against the wall.

Mary stares at the dark figure in horror and breathes, "It's you."

* * *

><p>John Winchester was roused from his slumber by the scream of his beloved wife. John runs upstairs in a panic calling out to her repeatedly.<p>

John entered the nursery to find nothing amiss. His youngest son lay in his cradle silent. He dismissed the scream as sounds from the still on television.

John breathed easy and leaned over the cradle, "Hey Sammy" he whispered.

John looked down at his son lovingly. But then he spots a red dot on Sam's pillow. John touched the dot to discover it was still wet. As he looked at his son quizzingly, another bigger red wet dot landed on his John's hand.

John looked up and the sight frightened this ex Marine more than any battle he ever fought.

On the ceiling, staring down at him with unblinking eyes was Mary Winchester.

Mary was pressed against the ceiling, her face frozen in horror, and a dripping red stain grew on her nightdress over her stomach.

John fell to his knees and cried, "No Mary!"

Suddenly the ceiling burst into flames, quickly consuming the form of Mary Winchester. In the Marines, John was trained to never falter in combat, never freeze at the sight of death. But in that moment, John Winchester froze.

He watched, frozen in silent horror as flames consumed his wife and quickly the rest of the room. He was stuck on the spot until he heard the sound of his eldest son calling out, "Daddy?!"

John turned to see Dean staring up at his mother in horror. Quickly regaining his wits, John turned to rescue the baby, but it was too late. In his moment of hesitation, the fire had consumed the entire room. The crib was in flames.

John vainly tired to reach for Sammy but the heat pushed him back. John looked into the center of the inferno and the truth hit him, Sammy was gone.

John looked at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face, and he whispered, "I'm sorry" before turning and grabbing Dean and running out of the burning inferno that had just moments earlier had been their home.

Forty five minutes later, John Winchester leaned against his 1967 Chevy Impala in complete in shock, clutching his sobbing son.

Sirens sounded throughout the previously silent hamlet. The Lawrence Fire Department vainly tired to put out the flames.

John replayed what happened in his mind over and over. It seemed crazy, the stuff of nightmares. But John was certain; some kind of supernatural force robbed him of his wife and child. But more importantly stole Dean's mother and brother.

John didn't know what caused the supernatural force, but as he sat there, coughing from the smoke and cradling his sobbing son, he swore he'd find it.

And he'd kill it.

* * *

><p>Three years later<p>

Hemery, California

October 31, 1986

"I really hate Halloween." said Bobby Singer over the roar of the Impala's engine.

For the last seventy two hours, he and John Winchester had been tracking a vampire nest. John and Bobby were hunters. Both had lost their families to Supernatural forces. So they hunted all that went bump in the night, to protect people from monsters. But most importantly for John was revenge.

Bobby looked up from the map and turned to the driver, "Make a left at the stop sign.

John grunted in acknowledgment to the older hunter and turned down the radio that had previously been blaring "Ramblin" Man by the Alman Brothers.

For the umpteenth time, Bobby turned around in the car and looked at the small frame of seven year old Dean Winchester softly dozing to the sound of classic rock.

Bobby turned to the younger hunter, "Are you sure you don't want to find a place to drop off Dean?"

John sighed, not taking his eyes off the road ahead, "Bobby for the last time, the vamps already followed our scent to the hotel room and by the time we got another one the nest will feed again. We already killed their leader, right now eight hungry soulless bastards with no restraint and pissed off as hell are just roaming around this sleepy little all you can eat slice of suburb. Are you really prepared to risk civilian lives for no reason?"

Bobby answered, "That no reason is your seven year old son for god's sake."

John finally took his eyes off the road and glared at the older man, "He'll be fine. I'll take some of the Dead Man's Blood and circle it around the car. They won't cross it."

Bobby quietly, so not to wake Dean, whispered loudly, "That part of the lore's never been tested. You're really willing to risk your boy on that?"

John rebuked, "He's not your son Singer, why do you give a damn?"

Bobby answered, "Someone has to."

The Chevy was parked at the entrance of a gated community. The road lead down to a circle of houses.

John turned off the car and sighed, "The path the vamps were going would lead them here. Closed off, quite, perfect feeding ground for these sons of bitches."

The two hunters excited the car, closing the doors as quietly as possible. John opened up the car's trunk to reveal a false bottom concealed with an assortment of weapons collected by John to handle any given hunt.

The two hunters went about arming themselves. Both concealed a machete in their jackets. John opened a jar of Dead Man's Blood that he had gathered from a funeral home he had snuck into the night pervious. As John opened the jar and slowly circled the car with the blood, he asked the older man, "Do you have the Dead Man's Blood?"

Bobby looked up at the younger man, "Do I look like a idjit?"

John opened the Impala's back seat and shook his son awake, "Dean, Bobby and I have to finish off this nest. Stay quiet and stay in the car. Don't get out for any reason."

Bobby thought to himself, "Don't sugarcoat it or anything. Not like he's seven god damned years old."

John waited till his son nodded and whispered, "Yes sir." Then handed Dean his own syringe. "Dean this is filled with Dead Man's Blood. What did I tell you it was used for?"

Dean answered back instantly, "Poison for vampires." After three years of Supernatural lore hammered into him, Dean knew more than most hunters three times his age.

John said, "Good boy" then he was gone.

Bobby waited till John walked away from the car before sticking his head into the Impala's cracked window to say, "Hey Dean. Everything's gonna be fine. Just stay in the car ok. I won't let anything happen to you."

Dean thanked Bobby

The older man sighed; this was no way for young boy to grow up. Military strategy, gun operation, countless supernatural lore basically forced down the young boy's throat since he was four years old. Since his father lost Dean's mother and brother, then learned of the supernatural, he dedicated his life, and by extension Dean's as well, to hunting down and killing all the evil sons of bitches that go bump in the night.

Bobby pitied John. He knew what it was like getting into this business. His wife Karen was possessed by a Demon five years previous. She didn't survive the ordeal. Bobby knew of the rage and lust for revenge. But in half a decade Bobby had slowly mellowed. Revenge is a young man's game. But still Bobby Singer hunted the supernatural forces.

* * *

><p>The two hunters were about to start a patrol around the suburb when a soft scream was heard coming from the house closest to the woods, Bobby noticed that the mailbox said Summers on it. John sprinted toward the house with Bobby closely behind. John kicked the door to the house in and ran inside.<p>

Another scream sounded through the house. John turned to Bobby and signaled for the older hunter to take the down stairs while he went upstairs. John slowly walked up the stairs, machete in hand, and could see a bloody handprint on the door to the master bedroom. John sighed before kicking in the door.

Five vampires were crouched over the bodies of two adults. They were all feeding and too high off the bloodlust to notice the intruder. Not taking the time to draw their attention John crossed over the bedroom and chopping his machete down he took the head of one vamp. This drew the attention of the other four. Not stopping, John sliced his blade thru the air and took the head of another vampire. By this time the other three and gotten up and hissed at John, showing the hunter their rows of sharp fangs, like shark teeth. The closest vampire rushed at John, who in turned lopped off his head with the machete. But the other two attacked together and with their superior strength managed to kick John through the doorway. While he was on the ground a vamp laid on top of him with its fangs extended ready to rip out John's throat but suddenly screamed in pain as John stabbed it in the abdomen with a syringe. The other vamp stared at John in curiosity who in return smirked, "Dead Man's Blood." then shoved the vampire off his body. John tired to stand up but the last remaining vampire knocked the syringe out of John's hand and threw him over the railing of the stairs. John landed with stars in his eyes, dazed, and could swear he smelled smoke. But before he could move the last vampire was upon him, grabbing him by the throat and shoving him against a wall.

* * *

><p>As John went upstairs, Bobby surveyed the downstairs. The older hunter heard crying coming from under the table in the dining room. Bobby got on his knees and saw a little girl no older then Dean dressed in a pink princess costume sobbing. Bobby called to the little girl, "Hey there darling, I'm not going to hurt you."<p>

The little girl looked a Bobby with wet brown eyes and pointed in the opposite direction and whispered, "Monsters got Dawn" and resumed crying

Bobby looked up and saw the doorway to a nursery open with two soulless bastards leaning over a cradle. Bobby looked back at the little girl and softly shushed the grieving child, "Crawl over here and I'll protect you."

At first the little girl shook her furiously and cried a little louder.

Bobby looked back and the vampires and saw that they hadn't turned away from their meal yet, and returns his attention to the little girl, "If I don't get you out of here the monsters will get you too darling. I can protect you I promise."

"What about Dawn and Mommy and Daddy?" the little girl whispered back.

Bobby sighed, "I'll do everything I can to protect you."

After a moment the little girl slowly started to crawl toward Bobby when a hand reached out and grabbed her by the leg and dragged her out from under the table. The little girl's screams got the attention of the other two vamps.

Bobby quickly stood up to see a vampire holding the girl by the back of the dress and looked into her eyes, "Well aren't you just adorable."

Bobby called out, "Let her go you son of a bitch." And started toward him but the vamp looked up at the hunter, "Nuh uh uh lets not make a mess of things in front of the little one eh Mr. Singer."

Bobby recognized the vampire as a bartender at a local bar that Bobby and John and gone to when they entered town. His name was Dixon.

Dixon smiled, blood dripping down his mouth, "I overheard you and your hunter pal talking it up the other night at the bar. You know, I should thank you. With our pack leader out of the way, I'm in charge now."

Bobby glared, "If you hurt her….."

Dixon sighed, "Spare me Mr. Singer. When you've done this for as many decades as I have, you've heard all the heroic speeches in the book. Let me jump ahead," he adopted a southern accent, "If you hurt the girl I'll sho nuff gonna get you" he dropped the imitation, "And I'll just smile while one of my boys rips your throat out."

Before Bobby could retort, a vamp out of nowhere tackled him over the table, knocking over a lit candle that landed on the window curtains, catching on fire. Bobby struggled to fight off the vamp as smoke filled the room.

The little girl screamed again. Dixon gripped her face tightly shushing her, "There there little one. We're going to have so much fun together soon."

Bobby managed to put the vampire on him off balance, and punched it off him. As the second vamp went to attack the hunter, Bobby pulled out his pistol and shot the rushing vamp and Dixon in the face.

Bullets will do no permanent damage to vampires, but it slowed down the rushing vamp and forced Dixon to drop the girl.

Bobby shouted at the girl, "Get out of here" as he turned and took the head off one of the downed monsters.

The little girl just stared in horror and fire consumed her home. While Bobby's back was turned, Dixon and gotten up and grabbed the older man from behind and pressed him against the refrigerator.

Dixon bared his fangs and said to the hunter, "You're trying my patience Singer. I was going to finish you off clean and feed off the little one slowly. But now I'm going to make you watch as I rip her throat out." And he punched Bobby for good measure.

As Dixon went to further hurt the hunter, the vampire grunts in pain and doubles over. Bobby is shocked to see little Dean Winchester gripping his syringe of Dead Man's Blood he had stabled into Dixon's leg. What frightened Bobby was the cold look the seven year old had in his eyes as he said to Dixon, "Get the hell off him."

Dixon fell over doubled over in pain. Bobby ignored him and put his hands on Dean's shoulders.

"Dean what are you doing here?"

The little boy replied, "I could see the smoke coming from the house and I was worried about you."

Bobby smiled, "You did good boy."

At this point the fire consumed a wall of the kitchen. Bobby saw out of the corner of his eye as the little girl scream as the last vampire rushed after her.

Bobby pushed Dean aside and tackled the soulless bastard. As he struggled to behead the vamp, he shouted at Dean, "I'm fine. Grab the girl and get the hell out of here Dean."

Dean wanted to stay and help out Bobby, but he nodded his head and grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out of doorway to the kitchen. The girl screamed as they saw John fall down the stairs and a vampire follow behind him.

Not worried about his father, Dean scooped up the little girl bridal style and carried her out of the burning house. Dean ran toward the Impala and threw open the Chevy's doors. He went to let go of the girl but she wouldn't release her hold of him.

Not accustomed to close physical contact, other than his father teaching him to different fighting techniques, Dean was at a lost.

Noticing her Princess costume, Dean said, "Come on Princess, you need to get in the car."

The girl still wouldn't relinquish her hold on Dean, so he struggled to comfort her, having little experience in the field since only Bobby Singer ever comforted him.

Dean said, "Hey Princess I'm not going to let those vampires get you. I'll protect you."

Finally the girl let go of Dean and they both got into the Impala. The little girl was crying to hard her body was shaking hard. Dean didn't know what to do so he put his hand on her shoulder and decided to get her talking.

He asked, "What's your name Princess?"

After a moment the girl softly replied, "Buffy."

Dean said, "My name's Dean. I promise nothing is going to hurt you Buffy."

As the two children waited for John and Bobby to return, Dean held the sobbing Buffy who refused to let him go.

* * *

><p>Back in the house, Bobby punched the vamp in the face and kicked him off while he scrambled over to grab his machete. As the vampire turned back to the older man, the hunter swung the blade and took off the vamp's head.<p>

Bobby dusted himself off and made his way to where he had left Dixon on the floor, and prepared to end this. But as he crossed over the dinner table that Dixon was under, Bobby felt a sharp pang. The poisoned vampire gripped the fallen hunter's pistol in his hands.

Bobby looked down at a gushing hole in his side before muttering, "Balls" and falling to the floor.

Dixon tried his best to smile but it was difficult with poison coursing through his veins. Knowing the fire wouldn't harm him permanently, Dixon dropped Bobby's gun and dragged the body of one of his fellow Nest members body over his, shielding him from view so any other hunters would overlook him.

* * *

><p>Back on the stairwell, John Winchester reached into his pocket and pulled out his gun and gut shot the vampire holding him up. The vampire stumbled back and John uppercut the vampire's chin; scooped down and grabbed his machete and took off the monster's head.<p>

Seeing the flames continue to consume the house, John yelled, "Singer?" When he didn't hear a reply John went into the kitchen to see Bobby on the ground, a growing puddle of blood surrounding him, and numerous decapitated vampires.

John reached down and checked Bobby's pulse. The pulse was strong. John checked to find that the placement of the gunshot wound was not serious. Bobby's unconsciousness was probably due to all the smoke then the gunshot wound.

John reached down and lifted Bobby on his shoulders and carried him out of the growing flaming inferno.

* * *

><p>No one would see hours later as the fire department shifted thru the ashes, one lone person leaving the house's remains, dust himself off, and make his way off to another snack.<p> 


End file.
